


Fractured Diamond

by handere



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Gang Violence, Kidnapped, Owada Mondo Swears, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Scars, Torture, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:33:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29584506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handere/pseuds/handere
Summary: A diamond cannot be broken. Everyone knows that. But what happens when someone sees a crack in it?
Relationships: Fujisaki Chihiro & Ishimaru Kiyotaka & Owada Mondo, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Leon has a crush on Sayaka
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

"Good game today, guys!"

Leon spoke as enthusiastic as he could between short breaths as he wiped his red, drenched face with one of the handtowels Taka, of course, had prepared for them. "Whew! Today'd kick insomnia's ass." 

"Language, Kuwata." Taka chided as he grazed an ice-cold water bottle against Leon's cheek.

"What? 'Ass' isn't a swear word. C'mon, man. Mondo swears and you say nothing. And he says worse things than 'ass'!" 

Taka hadn't broken scolding eye contact with Leon as he handed a bottle to Mondo. "Swearing is part of Mondo's character. I still scold him for other things, like when he doesn't completely wipe his face after eating. I always have to pick off a grain of rice from his mouth when we pass in the hallway." 

Leon smirked. "Oh, is that what you call it?" 

If he was paying attention and his abs weren't sore, the red-head would've been able to duck from the basketball as it bouched off his sweaty midsection with a hard, wet pat. "Oof!" 

"Next time, I'll aim lower, Kuwata." Mondo shot a half-wholehearted-half-serious glare. Although, he wasn't completely sure why he'd even bother hiding the implications. Everyone in Hope's Peak knew. It was practically an unavoidable subject. Still, he supposed it was worth protecting Taka's honor, even if it was from a half-wit joke. 

Leon's knees buckled as he leaned against a locker for support and the other arm clenched over his abdomen. "Noted." he groaned with a pained smile as he sat down to catch his breath. "What about you, Fujisaki? You were a lot faster today." 

Chihiro brushed a soaked strand of hair from his eyes. "Oh. Thank you. Although, all of that praise should go to Mondo. It was his training that got me here." The little programmer exchanged a sheepish smile to the biker, who then returned a genuinely proud one. 

Chihiro came a long way since their first year, posing as a girl as not to be called out for being "weak for a boy". The jeers from students in the hallway didn't help much either. But with much time and patience, Chihiro was finally able to come out to Mondo, then slowly to Taka and Leon. All three were unconditionally supportive and swore to keep the secret. Even mustering up the courage to ask to play Shirts vs Skins with them. 

"Hey, don't give me too much credit. My role was easy, but you did the hard part on your own. Askin' for help takes guts." Mondo gave himself a sad chuckle as he scratched his shoulder. Guts he wished he had. "Maybe one day, you'll be playing Skins against me."

"Oh, that reminds me." Leon chimed in. "I've been meaning to ask this. I know why Chihiro chose to be Shirts, but why you, Mondo?"

Mondo looked up from where he was sitting, previous traces of humor silenced. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, I mean, c'mon. A big muscular guy like you? I'd thought you'd wanna show them off."

"What, you trying to hit on me?" Mondo hid his suspicion with a chuckle. "I mean, we all know you chose Skins to show off that new piercing." Maybe changing the subject would steer Leon away, Mondo thought. 

Much to Mondo's relief, Leon's cheeks grew pink as he glanced at his new shiny nipple ring. "Oh yeah, ya got me there." he laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Uh, so, you think Maizono noticed? Think she likes it?" 

"Heh. I wouldn't count on it, Kuwata. I think she's into that Naegi kid she hangs out with." 

"Huh?!" Leon gasped, "Am I trying too hard? Is she more into ordinary guys?"

Mondo reached a hand to Leon's shoulder. "Relax. You've got just as much as a chance with her as that smelly mechanic dude has with the princess chick."

"But that guy has NO chance!" Leon cried, sweeping Mondo's hand off his shoulder. 

"Sorry, bro." the biker laughed. Leon turned away embarrassed, face redder than his hair. Mondo knew he would have to make it up to him later, but right now he's just glad that avoided talking about... _ that _ ....with Leon. 

_ Ding dong, bing bong! _

The school bell rang to announce the students to return to their dorms for the night. Saved by the bell, as they say. 

The four boys made no rush to put on their street clothes, they were going to put them in the laundry anyway. They stuffed their gym belongings into their own duffle bags and headed out the locker room. Mondo had stuffed his school jacket in there too, leaving on his tank top. A decision he'd soon regret. 

Leon glanced at Mondo's shoulder, something peeked under the white fabric, just between his neck and shoulder blade. A faint scar. 

"Hey, Mondo. How'd you get that scar?"

His words were cut short when he bumped into the biker's back with a strong thud. Leon looked up at Mondo, who didn't glance back. His eyes shrouded in shadow from his hair, but the aura around him was unmistakably filled with something Mondo gave off regularly, but only on very bad days with just the four of them; Rage. 

"What did you say?" the biker spoke menacingly, causing the baseball star to cower like a homeless kitten.

"I-I just asked where you got that sca..?" 

"I heard you, dipshit!" Mondo spat, "I'm asking how did you know?!"

"Uh, I...can.." Leon swallowed, his body shaking like a leaf. 

Taka placed a gentle hand on Mondo's shoulder, trying to ease the tension. "Hey, what's wrong, bro? Leon didn't mean to cause any strife." Despite his attempts, Mondo's anger hadn't faltered. 

"Did you see it too?! Or you?!" Mondo shot a panicked glare at Taka and Chihiro, who felt as if his fragile heart had left his chest at the sudden accusation. Leon stood between them, facing Mondo again.

"Hey, calm down, dude! It was me! I was the first and only one who noticed it. Don't drag them into this!"

"For your sake, you'd fuckin' better be the only one who knows! If your nosey ass tells anyone, I'm gonna make sure it's the last mistake you ever make, Kuwata!" And with that, Mondo stormed out of the gym, leaving the three shocked and confused. 

Mondo slammed his door so hard, he'd sure knock it off its hinges if he did it again. Tossing his duffle bag on the floor without a care as to where it landed, he stomped to the bathroom sink and splashed some cold water on his face, an anger management technique he learned from Taka. When he was done, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. His pompadour shroud over his face, strands of long light brown hair scattered everywhere in a tangled mess. He didn't look like the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. He didn't look like a Diamond. Like a child afraid of their own shadow, he was a coward afraid of his own scars. He was just as weak as he was then. That day. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Wakey, wakey, Diamond-boy~." 

The first thing Mondo heard as he came to slowly and painfully. A singsong tone from a gruff voice he swore he'd heard once before. 

Mondo was never the fastest Diamond in the gang. Always slept in, always arrived late at meetings, always slow with clever comebacks when criticized by other members, and worst of all always drove too slow. It was no wonder why he'd mostly get left behind after a heist, not that he'd expect anyone to slow down for him. It's every man for himself out here, and if Mondo were to one day cover for his brother's role as the leader, he'd have to learn how to carry his own weight. Otherwise, how would he be expected to carry the gang? Even if he'd have to find his way out of jail. 

Getting arrested was probably the most shameful thing to happen to a gang member. It's bound to happen at some point to any criminal, but to a Diamond, its weakness unfolded. Diamonds are strong, everyone knows that. Nothing can ever break a diamond, except perhaps another one, a reason why infighting was strictly prohibited within the gang. Diamonds are stronger when they're packed together, but each one is made to be strong itself. No chips, no cracks, not even a chink. A weak link can break the chain, as they say. Mondo was a prime example of that. It was one thing to fall behind and get yourself arrested, it was another thing entirely to fall behind and get captured by a rival gang. 

"I said, wake up!" 

The voice burst between the cracks of Mondo's returning consciousness and struck him square in the stomach. Literally. With what felt like an iron fist. 

Before light could pierce through his vision, shapes began to form and dance around his head. His throbbing head. It hurt like hell, and he was certain there was a pretty good-sized bruise on his temple. Although he couldn't for the life of him remember how he got it, either the ground or blunt force. Probably a side effect of his injury. He recoiled in pain, hoping to find at least some sliver of comfort after coming to, only to find he was standing uncomfortably upright. Most of his body weight seemed to be supported by his arms above him. He moved them and was met with what unmistakenly sounded like a chain rattling. He'd figured he was probably cuffed if it weren't for the obvious splintered rope eating at his wrists. Mondo realized his shoes were missing when the icy concrete under his feet surged through his body, but at least he was able to release the tension from his sore arms, finally able to comprehend his condition. Hanging by the wrists on a meat hook, maybe? Mondo recalled something like this happening in a horror movie he and Daiya used to watch on Halloween, only the victim wasn't hung by their wrists. Mondo was slightly grateful his captives weren't that fucked. Slightly. 

As if his eyelids were anchored by boulders, Mondo was finally able to get a view of his surroundings and see the silhouetted owner of the gruff voice who brought him back from unconsciousness. The Diamond tried to speak but his throat was stuck together as if it was pasted with glue and shards of broken glass in some psychotic kid's art project. Only a hoarse groan escaped through his teeth. 

"Ugh..."

"Well, looky here, boys. Sleeping Beauty awakens." the voice taunted. "Oof. That's quite a bump ya got there, boy." Mondo's face twisted in pain as a pair of fingers flicked his throbbing temple, earning a sea of gruff chuckles from the other men in the room. 

Mondo swallowed, somehow managed to utter a noise through his hoarse, weighted throat as if he was speaking with a chest full of sand. "Hha...hoo ah...yuh..."

The man mockingly cupped a hand over his ear, grinning at the miserable boy. "Hm? A little louder, champ. I'm hard of hearing. 'Old man', as you said."

Mondo didn't try to figure out what the man meant by that. He didn't have the energy. He tried to swallow but to no avail. His tongue couldn't even produce saliva at the moment to help his parched throat. "W...wuhh..." 

" 'Wuh'? 'Wuh', what, boy?" The man pretended to mull it over. "Wah...wah... Oh! Water? You want water, boy?" 

Mondo licked his lips and let out a tiny hoarse cough as if to confirm the man's "guess". The man turned to the group behind him. "The boy's thirsty. Give him some water." 

Another muscular man holding a plastic bottle approached Mondo with the same sick grin as the first man and unceremoniously poured the water over Mondo's head. His body slightly jolted at the sudden action as if naturally trying to get away from the cold liquid. Of course, no prevail, much to the men's amusement. Mondo's pompadour draped over his face, the water sticking no matter how many times he may shake it. 

"Aww, you ruined his pretty locks." said the first man in mock sympathy. "So sorry, boy. Must've taken hours to do." He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a canteen. "Alright, here ya go, boy."

The man pressed the nozzle over Mondo's lips, who greedily began chugging. It was then when he was immediately struck with a foul taste on his tongue, and he spat out the beverage onto the floor, followed by the remaining contents of his stomach. He coughed and gagged, feeling much worse than before. The men laughed again. 

"I guess some "men" just can't hold their liquor." the first man chortled. 

"Fug yoo..." a whisper crawled from Mondo's throat. Even he didn't hear it, but sure enough, it met with the ears of the other men. 

"What was that, boy?" the first man towered over Mondo, who scowled through his eyebrows and mangled hair. 

"Fuck...you..." the Diamond hissed as if his voice was poisonous. A stupid thing to say in his position, but Mondo was prepared to die for it. 

The man snatched a fistful of Mondo's wet bangs and forced his head back to meet eyes. Mondo heard a small metallic sound, followed by something sharp being pressed against his throat. It didn't take long to decipher what it was. 

Before the man could do or say anything else, another male voice thundered from the lit doorway.

"He's awake, I take it?"

The first man's eyes widened before turning toward the new man. "Y-yessir." A superior, Mondo thought.

Sure enough, his suspicion was correct in a way Mondo could not be proud of himself for. The men parted, making a small path for their boss to enter. From the towering heads, Mondo was able to see the man in full form. A taller, brawny man with short black hair and piercing blue eyes as if they were made from hell flame. He was shirtless and wore bandages around his abdomen like the Diamonds and other gangs, but his shoulders were draped in a grey trenchcoat, and he was covered in tattoos. The vice leader of The Deadly Grey Reapers. Mondo remembered seeing a bigger man, the real leader, who always accompanied this one. For some reason, he was nowhere in sight.

"Good." the man approached Mondo slowly, making sure each step added more and more growing intimidation, if not to Mondo then to his subordinates. They all lowered their heads and stared at their feet. Mondo internally scoffed. How pathetic. To have to intimidate your members in order to control them. Daiya never had an issue with insubordination, and it wasn't because he was soft or weak as other gangs believed. Daiya treated his members as if he was one of them, and he was. He served them, not the other way around. 'A true leader walks among his people, not above.', Mondo remembered his brother saying. If he were here, he'd talk some sense into these so-called "men".

The grey-clad man finally reached Mondo, towering over him as if the Diamond was a mere insect that needed to be squashed. "Mondo Owada. Do you remember me?"

Of course, he did. It was only a few hours ago that night, longer depending on how long he was knocked out. A typical heist near the shopping district, followed by a classic case of wrong place wrong time, which in turn turned into a turf war. Maybe a few steps were missing, but those were the only ones that mattered right now. In the end, the Diamonds were victorious and made haste before the cops showed up. What happened afterward Mondo could take a few guesses.

He said nothing, furrowed eyes fixed on the man as if his looks could speak for him. 

The grey man cocked a brow. He didn't smile. "What, they finally cut out your tongue?" he said unhumorously "It's disrespectful to stay silent when asked a question, boy. I took the effort to remember your repulsive name. Didn't your brother ever teach you to respect your elders? Oh wait, that's just not his style, is it?" 

Mondo's brows arched deeper against his violet eyes. Still, he chose to be silent, although the need to smack talk the older man for disrespecting his brother was clawing its way through the back of Mondo's throat. 

The man shifted the toothpick sticking out between his lips --Mondo had always thought about shoving that toothpick down the man's throat every time he sideglanced Daiya-- to the other side of his mouth as he glanced down at the young biker's feet.

"Why is he all wet? And why is there vomit on my floor?" the boss asked coldly, barely turning his head to imply he was speaking to his subordinates. The men glued their eyes to their feet, making only subtle glances at each other, almost urging one of them to speak up before things got messy. Finally, the man that Mondo woke up to opened his mouth. 

"H...he said he was...thirsty, boss." the man's voice quivered as something wet splashed onto the ground below him "S-so, we gave him some..." 

The grey man glanced over at the empty plastic bottle and flask near the mens' feet. He let out an exasperated sigh with an almost disappointed tone. "I thought I told you not to harm him." 

The first man gulped. "U-um, w-we didn't--"

"Do you think I'm fuckin' stupid?!" the grey man shot a glare over his sticking-up jacket collar with eyes like icicles shooting across the room and into the other man's chest. He was forced to look at his boss this time.

"Wh-wha--!" 

"When I said not to harm him, did you think you could draw a loophole or somethin'? That I wouldn't notice if you did anything at all other than subdue him as I told you to? You thought you could get away with it?" 

A shadow cast over the first man's sweating form. "Uh, w-well, boss, ah...h-he gave me and the boys a...rough time back there, a-an' w-we--I-I thought that m-maybe we could h-have some fun w-wi--"

**_KRRSK_ **

Silence swept across the room. Mondo would've thought he'd gone deaf from the sickening crack if it wasn't for the sound of droplets falling from the grey man's knuckles and forming a puddle onto the concrete floor. The same color that stained the wall before him with the limp form of the first man. The back of his skull had been cracked open like a melon and blood poured from his face onto his lap. He was dead. 

_ 'One hit...he killed him in one hit...' _ Mondo thought. If he anything left in his stomach, he would've made a new mess over his old. Instead, all he could do was stare with unbelieved eyes and parted lips. He'd seen bloodshed many times, but not like this. 

The other men barely flinched, which only deepened Mondo's growing fear. Was this a common occurrence? 

The grey man flicked his hand, spraying the remaining wet beads from his knuckles before wiping them with a cloth he pulled from his pocket. Two other men made haste to drag the bloody corpse from the room, others followed behind, leaving only Mondo and the grey man alone. 

"That give you a pretty good idea about how this works, boy?" he shoved the bloody rag back in his pocket, "I imagine this is your first time with a real gang, so I decided to give you an illustration. That, and I just hate wiseguys." 

Mondo knew he had to look at the man in the eyes to avoid severe punishment, but he couldn't tear his vision away from the red stain on the wall. The longer he stared, the more he realized gruesome details like teeth and pieces of broken skull with dark hair still attached scattered across the floor. When Mondo was finally able to find his voice, he spoke as steady as he could. 

"What do you want from me?" 

"Glad to see we're on the same page. Maybe there's hope for you after all." The grey man began pacing back and forth, "It isn't about what I want from you, more what I want from your brother. He's done me a great pain this evening. I want to deliver the same onto him." 

Mondo raised his brow, eyes fixed on the man as to assure himself he heard him correctly. "Pain? In what, the heist? It was a simple robbery. Just in and out the plaza. It didn't have shit to do with you, but you guys decided to turn it into a turf war, and we kicked your asses. None of us were stupid enough to stick around when the cops showed up. And here you are, taking it out on me like a pussy. If you want that shitty plaza in the middle of nowhere just barely off the highway, be my fucking guest, just leave me out of it." 

A pair of boots stopped dead in their tracks. Mondo was facing the grey man's back, the aura darkened around the room as the man spoke in a voice like molten gravel. 

"You think this is about that stupid plaza?" the man's knuckles turned white against the faded crimson. "Do you remember my brother?"

His brother? Was that the man Mondo remembered seeing with him all the time? The true leader of the Grey Reapers? That's his brother?

"Isn't he the leader here?" Mondo asked unsurely.

The grey man turned back towards him, eyes shadowed over his face. "He  _ was _ ," he said in a harsh whisper, making sure to put extra poison into that last word. 

" 'Was'?" Mondo didn't really need to ask what he meant by that, he could figure it out quickly, but he had to be sure. 

"He was killed. After the cops showed up, and you hightailed, the rest of us Reapers stayed behind and fought. We could've scattered like you cowards, but my brother wasn't having it, and we put up a pretty good fight. But one cop aimed his gun at me, and my brother jumped in the way. Bullet went right through his head. I still remember the cop's face." 

Mondo's face widened, almost sympathetic. He knew he'd heard gunshots and the sound of battle behind him, later drowned by his bike engine. It wasn't a sound he was unfamiliar with, it was an adventure like he was living in one of those action movies. The thrill of gunshots behind him, police sirens, thugs shouting. It's almost euphoric. But it never occurred to him the danger, death, and loss, the true bloodshed that came with it. With being in a gang. 

"But...why me? What does this have to do with me?" Mondo asked

"Your brother needs a lesson. A message." the grey man glanced over at the red stain "An illustration. Everything happens for a reason, I believe. My brother died so I could live and become the leader. Your brother left you behind so I could punish him through you. The pain and helplessness I felt that evening, your brother will never understand until he feels it for himself." He towered over Mondo with intense eyes. 

"So, what are you gonna do, kill me?" The biker tried to ask with masked bravery, but he wasn't sure if it came off like that. He heard another metallic sound, the same one he heard before. 

"It would send your brother a message." the grey man said pressing the pocket knife against Mondo's throat "But I'm not going to give you what you want, a quick death. Like I said, I want to give your brother an illustration. Do to you on the outside what he did to me on the inside."

"You're wasting your time. He'll come back for me." 'He always does.', Mondo thought the last to himself in shame. How weak he really was.

"I have no doubt he will. But when he does, he won't find his brother. He'll only find a broken kid who shares the same blood."

"You...you won't break me. I'm--"

"--A Diamond? No one can break a diamond, is that right? But I can see right through you. You're not a diamond, not a real one. You're just a shiny piece of glass. And glass can break just as easily as bones. For instance,"

_ Pow!  _

Mondo yelped in pain with a sharp gasp as something hard rammed into his abdomen with a sickening crack. His knees buckled beneath him as his wrists once again were forced to support his body weight. Mondo could only take in short breaths, he was sure a rib was cracked. Horror crossed his mind when he remembered how easily that other man died from one punch. He was holding back.

"See? A real Diamond wouldn't crumble like that." the grey man said. Mondo winced as he grabbed a handful of his hair, hoisting his head up to meet eye contact. "You're going to break, Mondo Owada. You're going to be cracked. And what happens to a diamond when it cracks?"

Another blow landed on Mondo's midsection, this time definitely breaking a few more ribs. Mondo could only let out a small whimper as he bit his lip, fighting back the urge to cry. 

"It becomes worthless."


End file.
